Wine must be
protected from oxygen, so bulk wine is always stored in full, sealed,
containers. Small batches of red wine are usually fermented in open
containers. New red wines are then stored in closed containers after pressing.
White and blush wines are best fermented in closed containers, and most
commercial wineries ferment their red wines in closed tanks. Large volumes of
carbon dioxide gas are produced during fermentation, so wine storage
containers must be sealed with fermentation locks until all the sugar is
gone. Most fermentation locks contain a water trap of some sort. The trap
lets the carbon dioxide gas escape but prevents air from entering the
container.

Glass

Five-gallon water
bottles are readily available, and these are the containers most often used
by beginning home winemakers. Water bottles have advantages and
disadvantages. Glass can be cleaned easily, and it can be completely
sterilized. Glass is transparent, and the progress of fermentation can be
easily monitored visually. On the other hand, glass containers are heavy, and
some winemakers find moving full carboys difficult. Glass is slick and
fragile, and handling heavy glass bottles with wet hands can be dangerous.
Five-gallon water bottles are a bit too small for long term wine storage
because of the oxidation problem. However, a few water bottles are handy for
storing leftovers for a few months. Another negative factor is the high cost
of glass. The price of a new glass water bottle is about $16.00 (more than
$3.00 per gallon).

Polyethylene

Polyethylene is a
recognized "food grade" material, and polyethylene drums are widely
used for shipping and storing liquid food products. Wine can be safely stored
for extended periods in heavy walled containers made of dense polyethylene.
Polyethylene is light, strong and inexpensive, and several firms now produce
polyethylene tanks specifically for use as wine storage containers. New and
used poly drums are available in 20, 30, 40 and 55 gallon sizes, and they
make excellent wine storage containers. Wine storage containers made of
polyethylene also have advantages and disadvantages. They are light weight,
so polyethylene drums can be handled and stored easily. Best of all, they are
inexpensive. Unfortunately, polyethylene has a porous micro-structure, and
the small pores make this material difficult to clean completely. Used
polyethylene drums can retain odors for long times, and the odors can
contaminate wine. Consequently, secondhand drums must be selected with care.
New poly drums sell for about $1.00 per gallon, and good used drums (used for
food products) can often be purchased for a few dollars.

Stainless
steel

Most winemakers agree
that stainless steel is the best material for fabricating large wine storage
tanks. Polished, stainless steel surfaces are easily cleaned, and properly
designed stainless tanks are inert and tight. Although stainless steel
containers are expensive, they give many years of trouble free service. Home
winemakers often use surplus stainless beer kegs for wine storage containers.
The deposit for a 15-gallon beer keg is about $15, and finding a first class
wine container for less than a dollar per gallon is difficult.

Oak

Standard wine barrels
come in sizes of 200 liters (52 gals) and 225 liters (59 gals). Oak barrels
impart a vanillin flavor to the wine, and this oak character is desirable in
most red and some white wines. After a barrel is four or five years old, it
no longer produces the desirable flavors, so wineries must replace their barrels
from time to time. A few wineries replace all of their barrels each crush
season, but most wineries replace 20 to 30 percent of their barrels each
year.

Barrels full of wine
require little extra attention. However, empty barrels are difficult to
maintain, and they require a great deal of attention. When a new barrel is
first filled, almost four gallons of wine soak into the wood. When a used
barrel is stored empty, the wine in the wood starts turning into vinegar in
just a few days. Sterilizing oak barrels is practically impossible, so
barrels infected with vinegar bacteria must be discarded. Commercial
winemakers avoid this problem by not emptying their barrels until new wine is
available. The barrels are washed with clean water as they are emptied and then
immediately refilled with new wine.

Oak barrels have
several other disadvantages. Barrels are heavy and difficult to handle. Empty
barrels weigh almost 100 pounds, and full barrels weigh about 600 pounds.
Empty barrels can be moved by hand without much difficulty, but moving full
barrels more than a short distance by hand is seldom feasible. Wineries place
full barrels on pallets, and the pallets and barrels are then moved with a
fork lift. Oak barrels are often attacked by wood-borers unless treated with
a special preservative. Eventually, any barrel will develop a leak.

New French oak
barrels cost about $600, and new American oak barrels cost about $200. Clean,
sound, used, barrels can often be purchased for $25 to $75 from commercial
wineries

Summary

Most home winemakers
use glass water bottles, polyethylene drums, stainless steel beer kegs or oak
barrels for bulk wine storage. Because of the difficulties outlined above,
novice winemakers are advised to avoid oak barrels until they gain some
winemaking experience. Polyethylene drums are light weight, easily handled
and inexpensive. Stainless steel beer kegs are inexpensive and last for many
years. Poly drums and beer kegs are usually the most practical bulk wine
storage containers for home winemakers. All wine storage containers must be
kept full, so winemakers collect a variety of containers. Several one-gallon
glass jugs and a few five-gallon carboys are always handy for storing
leftover wines.